20 Actions Young People Can Take for Climate Action Now

20 Actions Young and Older People Can Take for Climate Action Now

It’s difficult not to miss the movement that the incredible Gretta Thunberg has ignited. This Swedish 16-year-old climate activist has helped young and old think about the future, our planet, climate change, the direction its moving in, and why it’s so important that we take action for the climate now.

Across the world, on the 15th March 2019 young people went on strike to protest about the lack of leadership from their governments and demand climate action. As Fintan O’Toole commented in the opening of his opinion piece in the Irish Times, “are we so far sunk into indolence and fatalism that we need our own children to save us?” It would seem so and for that reason among many, globally parents and guardians encouraged young people to get active and stood with them as they did so. As Gretta points out in her TED Talk, “we are in the midst of the sixth mass extinction with up to 200 species going extinct every single day”. Doing nothing is not an option.

That said not all school children went on strike. Perhaps they didn’t understand the significance, or enough about climate change to stand up for it. As someone who’s passionate about the power of education, the day of climate action by the youth seemed a good opportunity to engage young people and their teachers. How can we help them better understand its importance? What can they, or we all do to enact change?

Education is the most powerful weapon to change the world – Nelson Mandela

In our local secondary school, with the support of teachers, our oldest daughter and her student council colleagues organised a morning of environmental education and action instead. Choosing some of the actions points below, they helped to inform students across all six years about climate change, empowering them to ask questions for themselves.

20 Action Points for Climate Change for Young People

The following list provides 20 climate actions in no particular order that students, green school committees, student councils, parents and teachers can do for climate action in Ireland now. If you’d like to add to the suggestions in the comments, please do.

Invite the school to watch the Blue Planet Documentary. Particularly the one about the devastating effect plastics are having on the oceans, or any documentary from Sir David Attenborough where he talks about climate change and what our young people will or won’t inherit.

Invite a knowledgeable speaker in to the school to talk about climate change and how it will affect future generations.

Get involved in Earth Day or local campaigns about plastic pollution, protecting our species and actions on climate change. Importantly, do something! As Turlough O’Brien, Carlow County Senior Football Club said at a recent rural regeneration seminar, “You miss 100 shots you don’t take”. The resources on our planet will not last forever. Take action to protect YOUR FUTURE.

Nelson Mandela said that “Education is the most powerful weapon to change the world”. Use it.

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Who is Behind Greenside Up

Hi, my name is Dee Sewell, social and therapeutic horticulturalist, owner/manager of Greenside Up, community and vegetable garden tutor and author of this blog.
I began blogging back in 2009 when I started my Carlow/Kilkenny garden business and as a result the blog is now full of tips, tales, talk and tasty treats about Ireland, gardening, recipes, the environment, family life and community.
If you want to find more about how we came to live in Ireland and what we do, take a look in the About page or Contact me about how I can help you grow your own food.

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